Project Listing

Title: Scientific and professional supplements on human health in polar regions-the International Journal of Circumpolar Health - Progress update (pdf)

Summary of Activity

The emphasis of the proposed activity are on dissemination of scientific and professional information, promoting communication, outreach, knowledge translation and education within circumpolar health. For this purpose the journal will produce a separate series of Circumpolar Health Supplements to serve as a forum of topics of general interest and related to the IPY themes. The target groups of the supplements are the scientists of the circumpolar health society, health care practitioners, professionals as well as vocational and higher education. The aim is to publish 8-10 supplements within the framework of the IPY in scientific and economical collaboration with researchers and different funding sources from Arctic countries and Antarctic health officers. The publishing association of the journal will promote the arrangements of expert meetings from which the material to the supplements will be produced. The key topics from the IPY Supplements will be collected for publishing a book about Circumpolar Health to be used as education material in universities and polytechnics and as a manual for health care professionals. Planned themes of IPY supplements: 1) Governmental and intergovernemental policies in human health, 2) human health and cold, 3) Health and Environment, 4) Health Care in Antarctica, 5) Infections, 6) Child health, wellbeing and society, 7) Wellbeing and care of elderly, 8) Sami health and wellbeing, 9) Health and Society, 10) Injuries Schedule of activities: 2005) organising international co-ordination group, planning, applications for funding, 2006) networking, applications for funding, sharing responsibilities to local organising committees, 2007) 6 scientific expert meetings, 2 IPY supplements, 2008) 3 scientific expert meetings, 6 IPY supplements, 2009) 3 IPY supplements, book on circumpolar health, presenting the results to IPY The published material represents a “snapshot" and benchmark for detecting and understanding past and present environmental and human change in the polar regions, as well as the processes that shape the resilience and sustainability of circumpolar societies. It will leave a legacy for future research on circumpolar health and for the needs for making health policies. Producing this scientific and professional material promotes international co-operation of the polar areas by bringing together experts studying human health issues. The journal will co-operate with all relevant Arctic and Antarctic actors (e.g. circumpolar organizations and associations, scientific networks, scientists, officials, local and intergovernmental health authorities and other decision-makers) to promote information exchange. The journal will through its activities support and promote education in the polar regions by being a vehicle for publishing scientific reports and for producing education material intended for vocational and higher education. The activities of the journal have been presented and accepted in a collaborative international meeting for human health activities in IPY and also at the national level in the Finnish IPY Committee.